


Live Bait

by LibraryMage



Series: In the Shadows [2]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ezra Bridger Needs a Hug, Gen, Inquisitor Kanan Jarrus, Kanan Jarrus Needs a Hug, May the Fourth Exchange, but neither of them will get a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:02:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24010045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibraryMage/pseuds/LibraryMage
Summary: The Thirteenth Brother and his apprentice are sent to track down one of the last surviving Jedi.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Kanan Jarrus
Series: In the Shadows [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731628
Comments: 13
Kudos: 52
Collections: Phoenix Nest May the Fourth Exchange 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HLine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HLine/gifts).



> I went a little overboard and created a conlang for this fic. Hover over the italicized non-English words for translations, or see the notes at the end of the chapter.

_“Can you help me?”_

The words came in clearly through the open comm channel, exactly what Thirteen had taught the boy to say.

_“Someone’s following me.”_

Thirteen could easily picture the six-year-old’s eyes widening slightly, the picture of innocence and fear, as he looked up at the target. The boy knew exactly what to do. He’d been coached on it enough that it was second nature.

_“I just want to get home, and I can’t – I –”_

The boy would be glancing at the nearest stormtroopers now. Thirteen could sense his fear, a barbed wire coiling around his chest and pulling tightly. It was real, not just an act to fool their target. After a year, the boy was still terrified by the sight of the soldiers.

 _“It’s okay, kid,”_ a woman’s voice said. _“I’ll walk with you.”_

Thirteen swallowed, trying to fight back the tightness in his throat at the sound of the voice. Whether it was familiar to him didn’t matter. He had a job to do, and the boy’s life was at stake if he didn’t do it properly.

Clenching his right hand into a fist, Thirteen began to pace the length of the room. Dust stirred in his wake with each step. The small two-room house had long since been abandoned, the people who’d lived here either arrested or in hiding. It was the perfect place to lay their trap and bring in the Jedi without a struggle. And now that the boy was leading her here, all Thirteen had to do was wait.

It wasn’t long before Thirteen heard the Jedi’s voice through the comm once more, echoing the faint voice he heard from the street outside.

 _“Hold on,”_ she said. _“Your parents don’t always leave the door open like that.”_

It wasn’t a question. This wasn’t the kind of place it was safe for a family to just leave their door hanging open. Another part of the trap. Those protective instincts the Jedi had taught her to follow, the same ones she now fought if she had any sense of self-preservation, would push her through the door, directly to him.

 _“N-no.”_ A frightened tremor shook the boy’s voice. This wasn’t just an act either. Thirteen could feel the genuine fear twisting around their bond once again, sharp spikes digging into it. He reached out, trying to soothe that fear, only for the boy to recoil from his mental touch.

 _“Just wait here for a minute.”_ He recognized the firm determination in the Jedi’s voice, no different than how he remembered it.

Thirteen switched his commlink off. There was no need for it anymore. In just a few seconds, the Jedi would be inside the house and he could take her down. The mission would be complete and they could return to Nur, with Thirteen having bought his apprentice a few more months of relative safety.

When he heard the Jedi’s footsteps cross the threshold, Thirteen removed his lightsaber from his belt. The weapon felt heavy as it settled into his palm; heavier than his old ‘saber ever had. After a year, it was only just starting to be familiar. He fought to keep himself as impassive as the metal that pressed against his skin. This didn’t mean anything to him. _She_ didn’t mean anything to him. At the very least he had to pretend that was the truth.

A figure stepped through the door, freezing in her tracks when she saw Thirteen. He ignited the twin blades of his lightsaber, casting a sickly red glow across the Jedi’s face. She went by Areta Trebo now, but to him, that would always be the face of Tai Uzuma.

“Caleb.” Her eyes travelled from his face to the lightsaber in his hand. Her own hand twitched toward her hip, instinctively reaching for a weapon she no longer carried.

“Not anymore.”

He met her gaze with his own, keeping her attention on him. By now, his apprentice would have entered the house and crept up behind her.

“This doesn’t have to be difficult,” he said. “If you come quietly, you won't get hurt.”

Tai’s eyes narrowed, and Thirteen could sense the fury and sheer disgust burning in her heart as she stared him down.

“That isn’t going to happen,” she said.

Before Tai could act, there was a sharp crackle of electricity. Tai dropped to the floor, gasping as her head struck the doorframe. The boy stood behind her, a shock prod in his hand. Thirteen kept his focus on Tai, avoiding the blank, almost deadened look in his apprentice’s eyes.

As Tai struggled to get up, Thirteen reached out through the Force, pushing her back down to the floor and pinning her there. He returned his lightsaber to his belt, exchanging it for a pair of stun cuffs. Tai glared up at him as he cuffed her wrists behind her back.

“You can't even do this yourself?” she growled. “You have to use a kid to do your dirty work for you?”

“Quiet,” Thirteen snapped as he dragged Tai to her feet.

He shoved Tai forward, forcing her into the front room. As he led her toward the door, he looked back to make sure his apprentice was following. The boy’s shoulders slumped as he stood there, staring blankly down at the spot where the Jedi had fallen.

“Apprentice.”

The boy jumped, startled out of the daze he’d fallen into. He hesitated for only a moment before falling into step behind Thirteen.

* * *

Ezra sat in the copilot’s seat with his knees pulled up to his chest. His master was securing the Jedi in the back of the ship, probably drugging her so she would remain unconscious until they got back to Nur. From there, the Grand Inquisitor would be the one who decided if she lived or died. And Ezra had helped put this in motion.

As his master sat down in the pilot’s seat and began the startup sequence, Ezra glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye. His jaw clenched as the anger smoldering away in his mind burned even hotter. He knew his master could sense it. They’d shared a strong bond in the Force since before Ezra could remember. Even if they didn’t, Ezra wasn’t trying to hide his feelings. He _wanted_ Kanan – _no, not Kanan, not anymore_ – to sense them.

Neither of them spoke as the Thirteenth Brother piloted the ship out of the atmosphere and made the jump to hyperspace. It was nearly an hour before his master finally broke the tense, painful silence.

“Are you okay?”

Ezra finally raised his head to look at his master, pouring his anger into the glare he shot at the man.

“Ezra –”

“Don’t call me that,” Ezra snapped. He clenched his jaw for a moment to stop it from trembling before he forced out the words, “You’re not supposed to.”

The Thirteenth Brother turned to face him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Ezra pulled away from his touch. Deep down, he didn’t want to. He wanted his master to comfort him the way he used to, but his anger was stronger than what he wanted.

“No one can hear us,” his master said. “You don’t have to worry about that here.”

Ezra shrugged and looked back down at the floor. It was true; there were no listening devices on their ship. Here, they could speak freely and use their real names. They could try to pretend to be the family they’d been before the Inquisitors had found them. But it was all just that; pretend. And it would all go away again the second they reached Nur.

“We could just leave,” Ezra said, his voice weak. He knew it was pointless. If his master wanted to leave, they would have done it already.

“We can't.” The words came out almost as a sigh more than actual speech, and with it, Ezra could sense the hopelessness and defeat that filled Kanan’s – _no, Thirteenth Brother … no, Kanan’s_ – mind. His master tried to shield him from it, but it was always there.

“They’re not watching us.”

“It’s not that simple,” Kanan said. It wasn’t the first time he’d used that reason, and every time, Ezra wondered what exactly was so complicated.

Kanan sighed, gripping the edge of Ezra’s chair and turning it so they were face to face. Ezra looked up at him, a deep ache spreading through his chest when he looked into his master’s bright yellow eyes. They hadn’t always looked like that, but now he couldn’t even remember what color they’d been before.

“Ezra, you can't talk like this on Nur,” Kanan said, as if Ezra needed reminding.

“I know,” Ezra muttered, dropping his gaze back to the floor. He’d made that mistake before, saying that he wished they could just run away. The Seventh Sister had dragged him away for a week of isolation, and the next time he saw Kanan, they both had fading bruises. “I just – I hate this. I miss how it used to be.”

In truth, he could barely remember the days before the Inquisitorius. His clearest memories were of emotions, not events or words. But he’d felt safe before. He’d felt like he was _really_ Kanan’s son all the time, not just when it was safe for him to be.

“I know, kid,” Kanan said. He reached out, resting his hand on Ezra’s knee and squeezing gently. Ezra could feel him gently cradling their bond in his mind, pouring all the love and comfort into it that he could while they were still somewhere it was safe to do so. “I miss it, too.”

All too soon, a soft chime sounded, alerting them that they were approaching the point where they would drop out of hyperspace. Ezra could sense his master’s mental flinch as he pulled away, returning his attention to the ship’s controls.

Ezra tightened his arms around his knees. As a familiar burning feeling rose up behind his eyes, he squeezed them shut, willing the tears not to come. He couldn’t cry, not when they were this close to Nur. If someone saw, they would both get in trouble; him for crying in the first place, and Kanan for not stopping him.

He opened his eyes again just in time to see the bright lines of light that quickly solidified into stars as the ship dropped out of hyperspace. A chill ran up his spine as he looked out the viewport to see Nur looming ahead of them. No matter how many times they left the fortress and returned to it, the sight of the moon always made a gaping pit of fear open up in his stomach.

Ezra remained silent as his master transmitted their clearance code along with the signal that meant their mission was successful. The order to land came shortly afterward and with it a lump formed in Ezra’s throat. As his master piloted the ship toward the moon, Ezra forced himself to speak. He had to get the words out before they were back there, with the other Inquisitors watching their every move.

“ _Ashi_.” His voice shook as he spoke the word he rarely found himself saying anymore. “ _Zekh zelha zi ke_.” 

“ _Zekh stinmamo zi ke bi daz ka_ ,” Kanan said. Ezra could feel the bitter, stinging guilt prickling at their bond for the few seconds before his master violently shoved it away, banishing the feeling from his mind. Inquisitors didn’t feel guilt.

“I don’t,” Ezra said. The memory of what had happened the last time one of the other Inquisitors had heard him speaking Kayil crept to the forefront of his mind as he forced himself to switch back to Basic.

As they began their descent toward the dark fortress, Kanan reached out, gripping Ezra’s shoulder tightly for just a moment before he let go again. For just a few seconds, as the warmth from his father’s touch lingered, Ezra couldn’t help but feel that maybe, despite where they were going, things would be okay.

But that feeling vanished as quickly as it had appeared. As the ship drew closer to Fortress Inquisitorius, the scraps of warmth Kanan had given him disappeared, swallowed up by the icy chill that spread through Ezra’s chest. By the time they set down on the landing platform, it was gone completely.

All that remained was the cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations for Kayil dialogue:  
> Ashi = dad  
> Zekh zelha zi ke = I don't hate you  
> Zekh stinmamo zi ke be daz ka = I wouldn't blame you if you did


	2. Chapter 2

Thirteen held the stolen key card to the reader beside the door. As the lock clicked open, he glanced over his shoulder before slipping into the cell. Something blurred in the corner of his eye and he stepped farther into the dark room just in time to avoid Tai’s attack. She stumbled past him and rounded on him, freezing in her tracks when she saw his face.

A tight, bitter feeling wrapped around Thirteen’s throat as he looked into Tai’s eyes. Her fear and, even more powerful, her anger hung in the air between them like a blade suspended from a thin, fraying wire. Thirteen was the one who looked away first, unable to keep facing Tai. She was his friend once, and he’d betrayed her. He’d brought her to this place, knowing full well what the Inquisitors would do to her.

“What?” Tai snapped. Even without looking at her face, Thirteen could practically feel her eyes narrowing. “Didn’t bring the kid for you to hide behind this time?”

“Tai –”

“Don’t,” she said. “What happened to you, Caleb? How did you become _this_?”

“That’s not my name anymore.” Even as Thirteen spoke the words, he could barely make himself believe them. For a year now, he had resolved himself to do what he had to do to keep Ezra alive and safe, but now that he was face to face with one of his oldest friends, that resolve was cracking in a way it never had before.

Thirteen glanced toward the door, even though he sensed no movement on the other side of it. It wouldn’t be long until someone came back for Tai’s next round of questioning.

With a twitch of his fingers, Thirteen opened the cuffs around Tai’s wrists. Tai watched as they fell to the floor, then looked back up at him. He could sense her suspicion pressing sharply against his mind like a vibroblade held to his skin as she tried to figure out what his game was.

“I can leave the door unlocked,” he said. “But the rest is up to you.”

He turned toward the door, but stopped at the sound of Tai’s voice.

“Caleb.” He looked back over his shoulder to see that her eyes had softened just slightly. “You never answered my question. What happened?”

“That kid is my son.” Thirteen’s voice broke as he said the word. He barely had the right to call Ezra that anymore. “And they’ll kill him if I step out of line. I’m doing what I have to do to protect him.”

“But you’re letting me go.” The ghost of a smile appeared on Tai’s face. “Maybe you’re not as far gone as I thought.”

“You’ve got twenty minutes at most before someone comes back,” Thirteen said, deliberately ignoring Tai’s words. He wasn’t the same person she’d known in the Temple, no matter what she said. “We’re two floors up from the easiest route to the landing platform.”

With that, he left the cell. He moved quickly through the corridors until he reached the sector of the fortress where the Inquisitors were housed. Once he’d reached the safety of his quarters, he sank onto the edge of his bunk.

He rested his head in his hands and breathed deeply, trying to quell the hum in his chest and the warm _thrill_ that emanated from it. Just that simple act of leaving the door unlocked was _something_ at least. It was a small shred of resistance to the Empire’s tyranny, a wrench thrown into their plans to wipe out the remaining Jedi.

 _You still brought her here._ The thought slithered to the surface of his mind, just loud enough that he couldn’t shut it out. He tried to remind himself that he hadn’t had a choice. If he’d intentionally botched the mission or let Tai escape in transit, Ezra would be the one who got hurt for it. This way, as long as Tai made it out and he hid his involvement, all three of them would stay safe.

Even so, Thirteen couldn’t rid himself of the small, insistent voice in the back of his mind that whispered _traitor._

* * *

The soft _hiss_ of a door opening snapped Ezra out of his fitful sleep. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know who was standing in the entrance to his room. That creeping presence, like an insect crawling up his spine and burrowing into his head, was unmistakably the Seventh Sister.

Ezra stayed perfectly still, hoping she would just go away. He knew she’d come into his room and watched him sleep before and left without doing anything. Maybe he’d get lucky and that would be the case tonight.

That hope was dashed as he heard footsteps against the metal floor, drawing closer and closer.

“I know you’re awake.” Her voice was soft, like a blade just barely touching his skin. “Get up.”

Ezra couldn’t move. His fear kept him paralyzed, curled in a ball on his bunk with his eyes squeezed shut. Maybe this was a nightmare. Maybe –

With a sigh, the Seventh Sister grabbed his arm, dragging him off the bunk and forcing him to his feet. Ezra struggled, but couldn’t break her grip as she steered him toward the door.

“We completed the mission,” Ezra said, the words tumbling frantically from his mouth. “We did what he said!”

The Seventh Sister laughed as she led him down the corridor.

“The next time you see your master, you can ask _him_ why this is happening,” she said. “Assuming you’re ever allowed to see him again.”

Ezra’s breath caught in his throat as he kept moving, forcing himself to keep pace with the Seventh Sister. They must have been listening in on the ship after all. That was the only thing that made sense. Unless something else had happened since they’d gotten back to Nur. But Kanan wouldn’t risk them being split up again. He _wouldn’t._

The pounding in Ezra’s chest grew stronger and stronger with ever step they took down the corridor. As the Seventh Sister led him into a lift and hit the button to send it two levels up, his eyes widened.

She was taking him directly to the medbay.

* * *

A knot formed in Thirteen’s stomach as he sensed the purge troopers approaching. He stood, squaring his shoulders, just before the door opened. The troopers entered, grabbing his arms and marching him down the corridor without a word. Not that Thirteen needed to be told where they were going. There was only one reason they would send purge troopers for him.

Sure enough, he was escorted to one of the upper levels and down another corridor to the quarters of the Grand Inquisitor.

The purge troopers shoved him to his knees before turning and exiting the room, leaving Thirteen alone with his master.

Thirteen stayed where he was, on his knees, his eyes fixed on the floor directly in front of him as his master approached. As the Grand Inquisitor’s footsteps came to a halt, Thirteen’s heart pounded like it was trying to break through the walls of his chest. It was in these moments that he came the closest he ever did to feeling like Kanan again; scared, helpless, knowing his fate and his son’s were in the hands of the man who stood before him.

“Did I or did I not make the terms of this arrangement very clear?”

“You did, Master,” Thirteen said, fighting to keep his voice steady. They didn’t know he had anything to do with Tai’s escape. As long as he kept his head and didn’t flinch, his master might not find out.

“And yet, you let the Jedi escape,” the Grand Inquisitor said, his voice cold enough to send a chill down Thirteen’s spine.

“She escaped?”

The words were barely out of Thirteen’s mouth before his throat tightened, the air quickly vanishing from his lungs. He clawed at his neck as he was wrenched off the floor, suspended in the air. All he could focus on were his master’s eyes, impassive and unfeeling as they stared him down.

“Don’t pretend that you don’t know what happened,” his master said. He flung his hand out and Thirteen was slammed backward against the wall, pinned there as he fought to breathe. “I know you were the one who released her.”

Thirteen’s hand dropped limply to his side as spots began to dance in front of his eyes. Suddenly, the air returned to his lungs as he dropped to the floor. He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes as he gasped for breath.

“Look at me, boy,” his master snapped.

Slowly, his breath still ragged, Thirteen looked up. His master’s face still held no emotion, his gaze cold and calculating as he crossed the room to stand in front of Thirteen.

“I assume you know what an XC-237 transmitter chip is.”

Thirteen nodded, his heart hammering. It was just another brand of slave chip, one of dozens that were used throughout the galaxy. This one not only tracked the person tagged with it, but could be used to remotely stun or kill them.

“As we speak, one is being implanted in your son’s spine.” Thirteen’s heart skipped a beat at his master’s words. “If either of you step out of line again, it will be detonated, and he will die.”

The Grand Inquisitor grabbed Thirteen’s chin, his fingers digging in hard enough that Thirteen knew bruises would be forming on his face soon enough.

“Understood?”

“Yes, Master,” Thirteen said, his voice shaking.

As his master released him, Thirteen dropped his gaze back to the floor, wanting to look anywhere but at the other man’s face.

“Now,” his master said. “There is still the matter of your own punishment.”

Thirteen squeezed his eyes shut and drew in a long, shuddering breath. He didn’t dare to reach for his bond with his apprentice, but instead thought the words he wished he could say to the boy every day that they were trapped in this place, hoping that somehow, he would sense it.

_ Sey zi yi’or, Ezra. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kayil translations:  
> Sey zi yi'or = I'm sorry


End file.
